Restoring 4.2.1 = Error 3014?

[CyberCat]

So I have a non-jailbroken factory unlocked iPhone 4 with 4.2.1, and I want to do a restore of 4.2.1. When I try I get unknown error 3014 on "Verifying iPhone restore with Apple..." I can use 74.208.10.249 gs.apple.com in hosts to avoid that error but halfway through the actual restore it crashes and gets unknown error 1013. Any ideas? I've done plenty of restores of 4.2.1 in the past without any issue...

Also why is every iTunes error an "unknown" error when they obviously have a proper error code?

 

[Myzhi]

Now that Apple is only signing / allowing 4.3, you need 4.2.1 SHSH blobs to restore to 4.2.1 even if you edit your host file or by using Tinyumbrella. Thus, do you have those blobs saved?

 

[CyberCat]

I do not, since I have not needed any in the past. Did something change?

Also I assume I can't extract them while in recovery mode?

 

[Myzhi]

Whenever Apple release a new firmware version, shortly afterward they stop signing / allowing you to restore to previous versions. Thus, before, Apple was signing 4.2.1, and thus, you could still restore to it back then. Not anymore. That's why saving your SHSH blobs are important. They allow you to restore to a firmware Apple no longer allow.

And, you can only saved your SHSH blobs when Apple was signing / sending them out. You can't get them from your phone or anywhere else.

 

[CyberCat]

By signing you mean the authorization to load the software? ("Verifying with Apple")

Why would Apple bother preventing installing previous versions anyway? I'm not aware of any company or product where the user is actively prevented from using anything but the most recent version. There are legitimate reasons not to upgrade and need old versions outside of jailbreaking. What are they thinking.

 

[Myzhi]

By signing you mean the authorization to load the software? ("Verifying with Apple")

Why would Apple bother preventing installing previous versions anyway? I'm not aware of any company or product where the user is actively prevented from using anything but the most recent version. There are legitimate reasons not to upgrade and need old versions outside of jailbreaking. What are they thinking.

Yes. In short, authorizing you to install or not the firmware.

Guess, it's their way of trying to stop JB. Apple will probably say it's for security fixes and so on.

 

[CyberCat]

So just to make sure I understand for future reference, TinyUmbrella is used to save the SHSH blobs, and then again to restore a previous firmware? No iTunes involvement?

 

[Myzhi]

So just to make sure I understand for future reference, TinyUmbrella is used to save the SHSH blobs, and then again to restore a previous firmware? No iTunes involvement?

No, you still restore with iTunes. In short, when you do a restore, iTunes sends a request to Apple. Apple then sends SHSH if it's OK to installed. Thus, if you have old SHSH blobs saved, you can point iTunes to look somewhere else, edit host file to Cydia or locally with Tinyumbrella TSS Server mode, and trick Itune into allowing you to restore.

 

[CyberCat]

Ah, okay. That makes more sense then. Thanks for your help.